San Francisco transit officials on Tuesday were not thrilled with the three options to cut 4 percent of Muni service this summer. Instead, they wanted to see options that have no service cuts.
Directors on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) board were presented with three possible Muni service cut scenarios to close a $50 million budget gap in the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1. The cause of the deficit was due to less-than-expected revenue from parking and the city’s General Fund.
The Voice was one of the first media outlets to publish the potential Muni cuts last week, which included the possibility of suspending low ridership routes with parallel service, reducing the frequency on routes that serve the hilliest parts of the city, and reducing the subway hours.
“These are going to be painful,” said Sean Kennedy, the agency’s chief planning officer. “We do not want to be doing this, but the budget issues are real.”
Directors tasked Kennedy to bring back other options to the board that do not involve cutting Muni service at the board’s next meeting later this month.
“The choices are cut transit service, cut transit service, and cut transit service,” said board Director Steve Heminger. “I think we need a couple options that don’t cut transit service.”
Heminger suggested that the agency look to its operating reserves to avoid cuts to service in the summer. The 4 percent of cuts amount to about $15 million in savings. In a blog post about the potential cuts, the SFMTA said they would look to make up the rest of the $35 million through other ways, including increasing fare compliance and looking at ways to improve parking enforcement.
Reduced service on the 36-Teresita would negatively affect seniors and the disabled.
He added that it would be “leery” of the agency to reduce service now given that the SFMTA and other Bay Area transit agencies will need the support of voters next year to approve a possible regional measure to fund transit operations.
The SFMTA has a short timeframe to decide whether to cut service this summer. Kennedy said the agency plans to do public outreach for the entire month of February and bring back a final proposal, based on public input, to the board for approval in March. If cuts are approved, they will be implemented sometime in the summer.
Over a dozen speakers at the board meeting spoke out against the possibility of service cuts, with some asking directors to think about the seniors and people with disabilities when cutting service.
“The choices that we were offered, the three scenarios, I felt like we’re being asked ‘Do you prefer arsenic or cyanide? Do you prefer to drown or be bitten by a rattlesnake?’ I appreciate that there is a response that there could be an alternative,” said Fran Taylor, who is retired.
Cyrus Hall, a rider of the 36-Teresita and a member of the coalition called “Muni Now, Muni Forever,” a group demanding city elected officials find solutions to solve the SFMTA’s deficit that does not involve cutting Muni service, spoke about his neighbors who are seniors that rely on the 36. The 36 route is listed in all three options to have its service reduced.
“My next door neighbor is in her 70s. She has a frozen neck, she has shakes, and she thankfully gave up her car during the pandemic because it was unsafe to drive,” Hall said. “When the 36 has less service, her accessibility to the city is cut.”
Transit officials next year will have to contend with an even bigger problem next year, facing a $320 million budget deficit starting July 1, 2026.
The public can email feedback to the SFMTA about the potential summer service cuts at MuniCuts@SFMTA.com or take an online survey.
